Improvement in refrigerator-cars



1. l. BATE.

Y Refrigerator-Cars. No.l1`46,980, Patented Feb.3,1874.

UNITED STATES PATENXT OFFICE.

JOHN J. BATE, OF BROOKLYN, NEV YORK..

IMPROVEMENT IN REFRIGERATOR-CARS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 146,980, dated February 3, 1874; application tiled June 12, 1873.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN J. BATE, of the city of Brooklyn and State of New York, have invented a certain Improvement in Refrigerating Provisionars, of which the following is a specification:

lIt is now well and fully understood that in order to preserve animal and vegetable food a certain degree of cold or the absence of heat must exist. This has been heretofore attempted by passing the current of atmospheric air of the car through a box or receptacle containing ice, which both cools and dries the air.

My invention relates to this class of ears, and has for its object the more equal distribution and corresponding ditt'usion of the air through the car. It therefore consists, first, in combining, with the lower part` or iloor of the car, a pipe or pipes having openings or outlets at different points in its length, and an equal number of deiiecting-plates arranged within the pipe, so as to divide up and distribute the air which is drawn from the ice-chamber and forced into said pipe by a tan-blower or other suitable means; secondly, in combining, with the ieeehamber and perforated inlet-pipe, a slotted exit-pipe provided with a slide for regulating the size of the exits, or closing them entirely, whereby the volume of cold air circulating through the ear may be diminished or cut oftl entirely, as may be desired.

The drawings herewith show, Figure l, a view of the interior of the car, the side thereot being removed 5 and by Fig. 2, a view of the pipe in connection with the pump, the top ot the pipe having also been removed.

In the top or upper part of the ear A the pipe B is properly attixcd. It will be noticed that this pipe conducts the air from the interior ot' the cir to the icc-chamber C, and that it is open at the end l), and is slotted, as at lfl. In this pipe a slide may be fitted, and `in some instances will be necessary. This slide may be on the interior or exterior of pipe l), and operated in any convenient manner. It should be provided with slots of the size of those marked E in pipe D, and should register therewith, so that the size of the air-exits may be controlled at pleasure. Through the ice box or chamber C the air is drawn by a pipe,

F, continued from pump G, and is forced through the tube or pipe H into the interior of the car or chill-chamber. The distributingpipe H has throughout its length openings J, guarded on the inside of the pipe by deilectors K, said deilecting-plates being formed, when tin or soft metal is used, by the tongues or portions of the pipe forced in by a die or punch, which makes the openings J. Vhen the distributing-pipe is of hard or brittle metal, the deiiecting-plates are otherwise applied. These openings may be capped by branch pipes, as shown at L, and the end of the main pipe closed, or left open and provided with deflecting-plates L, each and all of which will, to a greater or less extent, accomplish the object which I have in view, viz., to break up andequally distribute the air throughout the ear.

This arrangement of means for refrigerating the provision-chamber of ears may be applied to the like chambers of ware or provision houses, and chambers for keeping meats and provisions generally. Vhen so adapted, the fan-blower may be operated by any motive power at hand, or mechanical devices convenient, among which may be included clock movements.

Then the last-named means are used, I prefer that the movement of the clock be actuated by indiajrubber springs, instead of metallic springs or weights.

Having thus described my invention, l elaim- .1. In combination with the iceehamber of a refrigerator-car, and suitablermeans for inducing a current of air therethrough, a pel'- forated air-distributing tube or pipe, provided Y with interior deileeting-plates, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. In combination with the ice-chamber, means for inducing the circulation of air, and an air-distributing pipe, a slotted exit-pipe, provided with a slide for varying the size of the exit-orifices, substantially as specified.

This specification signed this 29th day of May, 187

JOHN J. B1-LTE.

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